Student’s Race for Life in memory of her cousin

Caitlin Neary, 17, has vowed to complete the Race for Life at Home challenge to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK while the country is still in lockdown.

The Lymm Sixth Form student will have ran, walked and cycled 300 miles in memory of her dad’s cousin, Nicola Daniels, who died in 2001 aged just 12.

The much-loved youngster was a pupil at Lymm High School and had a rare form of bone cancer.

Caitlin’s great grandmother also died due to the disease in 2009.

Caitlin said: “Although I never met Nicola, I’ve heard so much about her, and I wanted to do something to remember her and my great granny.

“It’s incredibly sad that Nicola passed away at such a young age and I want to make sure other families don’t have to go through this.

“We’re spending a lot of time at home this spring so it feels good to take back some control and plan something positive to help people who are going through cancer right now.

“Charities like Cancer Research UK, and the research that they fund, will be hit hard by the current situation and it upsets me to think about what this might mean for people affected by cancer in the years to come.

“I want to do my bit to make sure scientific research can carry on and continue to save more lives.”

Caitlin’s parents, Anthony and Nicola, are incredibly proud of their daughter’s fundraising efforts and are hoping that she will inspire others to take up their own Race for Life at Home challenges.

Anthony said: “Whilst we have seen family members sadly lose their battle with cancer, there have also been more positive outcomes.

“Several other family members have successfully recovered over the years and this is a testament to the vital work that Cancer Research UK does.

“There aren’t many families who haven’t been touched by this disease and we hope that Caitlin inspires other people to support this important cause.”

Visit raceforlife.org and sign up to Race for Life at Home.